


Anything For Love

by Val_Brown



Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), Tommy Ratliff (Musician)
Genre: Child Abuse(off page molestation), Family Drama, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-18
Updated: 2011-02-18
Packaged: 2017-10-15 18:18:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/163567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Val_Brown/pseuds/Val_Brown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy thought he was doing his friend a favor when he agreed to be the guardian of her daughter. He is shocked when one day he ends up with a six year old. One little girl opened his heart and gave him something he never thought he could have. But what happens when that one thing is threatened? What will he do?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anything For Love

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Lambliff Big Bang on LiveJournal. I posted under my Author name over there Valress.
> 
> Comments are love, Thank you

[ **Fanmix here** ](http://wildcat92.livejournal.com/2722.html)

 

 

 

Five years ago when he signed the papers, he figured it was just precautionary, just in case something happened to Candice. He never thought that he would be holding a sobbing six year old as he read a letter she had pinned to her jacket.

 

 _Tommy-_

 _I know this seems sudden and strange. But Brian and I have decided to get married, and he doesn’t want children. Please take Claire, she loves you and I know you love her too. Here is all the paperwork you signed, it is all legal, she is yours._

 _Candice_

“Oh baby girl,” Tommy said softly as he hugged the sobbing child to his chest and walked into the house. Carrying her into the house he wiped her cheeks, and smiled. “Come on Claire, I bet Uncle Adam has ice cream hidden in the freezer. Wanna check?”

 

Nodding she smiled up with large green eyes and wiggled until he set her down. “UNCLE ADDY! UNCLE TJ SAYS YOU HAVE ICECREAM!” She screamed as she ran to the kitchen, her strawberry blonde pigtails bouncing. Looking down at the papers in his hand he sighed and followed the screeching child. Walking into the kitchen he couldn’t help but smile as he saw Adam scoop her up and squeal nearly as loud as she was.

 

“OH Claire Bear!  What brings you to visit me beautiful?” Adam asked as he hugged her tight and started digging for the ice cream he always kept in the freezer, he told everyone it was for Claire and Monte’s kids, but it was really for him. Setting her up at the table with a bowl of ice cream he turned to Tommy. “Tommy, what’s going on?”

 

“Adam, she’s gone. She just left Claire,” Tommy said as he handed Adam the papers, and glanced over at the now happy six year old. What was he going to do? He’d only had Claire spend the night a few times. He had no idea how to be a full-time parent. “I’m so lost here. What am I supposed to do? I can’t take her to my apartment, I just have the one room and it’s no place for a little girl.”

 

“Ok, Tommy, don’t panic. Umm, I’ll call Monte,” Adam said as he nodded and grabbed his phone, hitting the call button, he turned back to Tommy. “You know, you can move in here, I have two extra rooms.”

 

Nodding he turned back to watch Claire, he was totally out of his element here. He went over and sat down next to her, smiling. “Claire, did your mom say anything to you before she left?”

 

“Mmmhmm,” she said around a mouthful of ice cream. Wiping her mouth, Tommy set the napkin on the table and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Mama said that she was going away with Brian and you were gonna take care of me now.”

 

Just nodding, Tommy looked over at Adam who was on the phone.

 

“Monte, Tommy and I need your help. Well actually yours and Lisa’s, please,” Adam said as he smiled over at Tommy who watched as Adam listened and then nodded. “Okay, thanks.”  Hanging up he walked over to the table and smiled at Claire. “Hey, Claire Bear, how about you get cleaned up and watch some cartoons, Uncle Monte and Auntie Lisa are coming over.”

 

Squealing loud enough to break crystal, Claire jumped down and made a beeline for the bathroom to wash her face and then shrieked as she ran to the living room. Laughing both men followed her. Tommy glanced up at Adam and sighed.

 

“Is it really okay if we move in? I mean having your “straight” best friend and his daughter living with you might kill your mad game with the men,” Tommy said with a chuckle as he used air quotes around the word straight. Yeah, not so straight, but it was easier to play the straight card since the record company was so vehement about it. Adam just laughed and threw an arm around his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his temple.

 

“Of course, besides… I need a new shopping partner, and I think Claire is perfect,” Adam said as they sat on the couch and Claire crawled up in his lap and snuggled against his chest.

 

“Uncle Addy, am I gonna live with you?” Claire asked softly as she looked up at him.

 

“Well, that is what Uncle TJ and I were talking about. Would you like to live here? We could decorate your room any way you want it.” He said as he looked down at her and smiled tugging her pigtails softly.

 

“Really, Uncle Addy? Anything I want?” Claire asked as she looked up at him, then over at Tommy. “Uncle TJ, really, are we gonna live here?”

 

“Yeah, Princess, would you like that?” Tommy asked as he took her small hand in his.

 

“Yeah, I wanna live with Uncle Addy,” Claire said as she tucked her head under Adam’s chin and started watching the cartoons on TV. “He has good ice cream.”

 

Laughing, they heard the doorbell, Tommy stood up and answered it, letting Monte, Lisa and their kids in the house.

 

“Hey Ariel, Aurora you wanna watch cartoons with Claire?” Adam asked as he knelt down to their level. Nodding vigorously they ran off to the den where Claire was, screeching as they saw each other making the adults laugh.

 

“So guys, what’s going on?” Monte asked as they sat at the table, adjusting Atticus on his lap. Pushing the envelope of papers and the letter across the table, Tommy sighed.

 

“Let me start at the beginning,” Tommy said as he smiled tightly and began his story.

 

 

~~~~~~~

 

5 years later

 

“Daddy, can I ask you something?” Claire asked as she looked over at Tommy. Putting the spoon down into the bowl of cookie dough, she turned to face him.

 

“Sure, baby. What?” Tommy asked, turning to face the pretty little red head as he pulled the cookie sheet out of the oven. Over the last five years, she had grown into a pretty eleven year old, full of questions about everything. Lately a lot of her questions had been about her mother, why she left and if Tommy thought she would ever come back. Expecting much of the same he was shocked at her question.

 

“Do you love Papa? I mean like love him, love him. Not like friend love,” She said, nearly causing him to drop the cookies. Setting them on the counter, he turned and looked down into large green eyes. Shaking his head, he chuckled.

 

“Claire, he’s my best friend. Of course I love him,” Tommy said as he turned and started taking the cookies off the tray. Arranging them on the rack, he set the tray on the counter and reached for the bowl of cookie dough.

 

“Daddy… That’s not what I meant and you know it!” Claire said exasperated, as she put her hands on her hips. He glanced over at her and had to smile, she was definitely picking up on Adam’s mannerisms. “I mean, do you love Papa, like he loves you?”

 

“What? No he doesn’t…” Tommy said as he let the spoon drop back into the bowl, looking over at her he only saw her nodding emphatically. “I… Claire, tell me you haven’t been talking to him about this.”

 

“Well, not exactly talking…” Claire said as she looked at her feet. He walked closer to her and looked down at her.

 

“Claire Leanne Ratliff… what did you say?” Tommy asked trying not to be too embarrassed at what his daughter and Adam had been talking about.

 

“Well, I just kinda told him that I knew he loved you. I mean come on Daddy, it’s, like, totally obvious he loves you. I knew when I was little,” Claire said as she patted his cheek, and turned back to the cookies, grabbing one and hopping off her stool. “You know Daddy… You’re really obvious too, just tell him.”

 

With that she gave him a kiss on the cheek and skipped off to finish her homework, leaving Tommy to sleepwalk through finishing the cookies, and starting dinner. He was so lost in his own thoughts he nearly burned his hand when Adam walked in the kitchen and tapped his shoulder.

 

“SHIT! Damn it Adam, you scared me!” Tommy said as he turned around and set the chicken on the counter. He turned and looked up at his best friend and found that as much as he wanted to deny it… his eleven year old was right. He was in love with his best friend.

 

“I’ve been talking to you for the past ten minutes, you were just spacing off. What were you thinking about?” Adam said, reaching for the silverware to set the table. As he headed back to the dining room he turned and looked back as Tommy spoke.

 

Tommy shrugged. “Nothing, just something Claire said.”

 

“Hmm, okay,” Adam said, turning and going into the dining room. He paused as he reached the doorway and looked back at Tommy again. “I think after Claire goes to bed we should talk, ok?”

 

Just nodding, Tommy turned back to finish dinner.

 

~~~~~~

 

After they got Claire settled into bed, Adam grabbed two glasses and a bottle of red wine and walked into the living room where Tommy was waiting. He poured them each a glass and sat back, watching Tommy.

 

“I take it Claire has been talking to you huh?” Adam asked as he took a drink. Tommy took a drink before he answered.

 

“Yeah, you know she’s a lot smarter than I ever gave her credit for,” Tommy said as he sat back, looking down at his wine. He knew what he wanted to say, but getting it out was tough. Yeah, Claire said Adam was in love with him, but she was also eleven, and he wasn’t ready to make a total ass of himself.

 

“I know. She came and talked to me last week, had a lot of questions,” Adam said as he let his hand fall to his knee, watching Tommy look at his wine. “You’ll never guess what it was about.”

 

“I have a pretty good idea. She blindsided me in the kitchen this afternoon,” Tommy said as he set his wine glass on the table. Looking up into blue eyes, Tommy felt the same charge jolt through him that he felt the first time he met Adam. Sighing, he smiled softly and decided to take the leap. “Look, Adam…”

 

He didn’t get another word out before he felt Adam’s lips pressed against his, his hands somehow fisted in Adam’s shirt. Pulling back slightly, Adam’s face was bright red, his freckles standing out more than normal. “I’m sorry… I don’t,”

 

“Shh, if you hadn’t done it I would have.  Look, Adam, I have to be honest, I love you, I am pretty sure I’ve always loved you. Watching you with Claire has only made it more pronounced, you love her like she’s yours. You’ve always been there for her no matter what. I know that I couldn’t have done this at all without you,” Tommy said as he laid a hand on Adam’s cheek, letting his thumb gently stroke the slight stubble. He saw Adam’s eyes glisten with unshed tears.

 

“Oh god Tommy, I… Damn, I love you so much,” Adam said as he pulled him close, kissing him again. This time it was more than tentative, there was purpose behind it, sighing softly, Tommy felt Adam’s tongue grace his lower lip, licking softly. Opening he let Adam take control, turning his head just right to deepen the kiss. Suddenly they heard a giggle, breaking apart they looked over towards the hallway. 

 

“Claire Leanne… I thought we sent you to bed.” Tommy said trying to sound authoritative but not accomplishing it at all.

 

“Finally you guys! Geez! I have been waiting for like EVER! Now when are you gonna get married?” She said with a laugh as she stood up from her hiding place near the doorway.

 

“Get back in bed, young lady!” Tommy said as he buried his face in Adam’s shoulder trying to stifle a laugh. They heard her grab the phone from the table. “What are you doing? It’s after nine o’clock”

 

“Calling Uncle Kris, he owes me fifty bucks!” She said with a giggle as she ran down the hallway to her room. Jumping up from the couch Adam took off down the hallway after her.

 

“What do you mean Uncle Kris owes you fifty bucks?” Adam asked as he stopped in the doorway of her room, watching her on the phone.

 

“He bet me that Daddy would make the first move. I said you would kiss Daddy, and then apologize for it, I won,” Claire said as she turned to talk into the phone, Adam could hear Kris groaning over the phone, and promising Claire he would pay up the next time he saw her. Handing the phone to Adam after she hung up, she smiled and crawled into her bed. “Night Papa. Love you.”

 

“Love you too, Claire Bear,” Adam said with a laugh as he turned off the light, and walked down the hallway to Tommy. Laughing as he sat back down, he pulled the smaller man closer. “So it turns out, Kris bet Claire you’d make the first move, she said I would kiss you first and then apologize. Turns out she was right.”

 

Laughing, Tommy just leaned up, pressed a kiss to his lips and settled back against Adam’s chest.

 

“She’s a lot more observant than I thought,” Tommy said as he laced his fingers with Adam’s, and flipped the TV on. “So now where are we, Adam?”

 

“I think we take it slow and see where it leads us,” Adam said as he pressed a kiss to Tommy’s hair. Snuggling tighter against Adam, Tommy sighed happily, things were falling into place.

 

~~~~~~~

4 years later

 

“DADDY!”

 

Jogging down the hallway, Tommy came to a stop in the open door of Claire’s room.

 

“Yes, baby?” He asked as a dark head popped up over the side of her bed, she had insisted on dying her strawberry blonde hair dark like her Papa’s.

 

“I can’t find my other boot,” She said as she threw herself across her bed, frustrated. “I’m gonna miss the bus and I wanna wear these boots,”

 

Looking around her room, Tommy chuckled. “What about in here?” he asked gesturing toward a large pile of what looked like clothes and shoes in what was supposed to be her closet. Sliding off her bed, she started digging through the pile, shouting triumphantly as she raised her arm, boot in her hand. Pulling them on she jumped to her feet, rushing out her door, book bag slung over her shoulder.

 

“Thanks Daddy, you’re the best,” she said as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and rushed out the door. Hearing the door slam, Tommy chuckled and pulled her door closed after tossing a stray shoe and a t-shirt back inside.

 

~~~~~~~

 

A few hours later, Tommy was sitting on the couch. He’d lost track of time as he sat strumming his guitar, going over a Depeche Mode song he was especially fond of, he’d found himself weaving his own tune out of it, smiling as he thought about both Adam and Claire, the words coming faster and smoother than they had before. Grabbing a pen he started writing them down when he heard the door bell ring. Frowning, he set his guitar aside and went to answer it. What he saw when he did nearly made his heart stop.

 

 _Candice_

 

“Candice, what’re you doing here?” Tommy asked as he reigned in his galloping heart, _she wasn’t here to take Claire was she? No, not after nine years, there was no way, Right?_

 

“I’m here to see Claire. Where is she?” Candice asked as she walked into the house. Swallowing hard, he shut the door, and turned to look at her. He saw her looking at all the pictures of Claire, growing from a cute red headed little girl, to a very pretty raven haired young lady. “Her hair’s dark now, why?”

 

“She wanted to dye it dark, so we went and had it done,” Tommy said as he passed her on the way to the living room. He felt her eyes watching him, he had never been this uncomfortable in his life. “Claire is at school, she should be home within the hour. So what brings you back after nine years?”

 

“I came for my daughter,”

 

Those words made his blood run cold.

 

“You what?” Tommy asked incredulously as he just stared at her.

 

“I came to take my daughter home,” Candice said as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Tommy.

 

“Candy, really? You dropped her on the front step nine fucking years ago, not a call, not a letter, for NINE fucking years, and now you expect her to accept you with open arms?” Tommy asked as he stood up and began to pace the room. He couldn’t believe it, every nightmare for the past nine years was coming true in this one moment. He bit back the tears threatening to spill over, taking a deep breath he stopped pacing.

 

“She’s MY daughter Tommy, not yours.” Candice said vehemently as she handed him a large manila envelope. “These say you have to give her back to me. Now I want a bag packed and her ready by five o’clock. Brian and I will be here to get her then.”

 

With that she turned around and walked out the front door. Staring at the envelope in his hands, he started shaking, his knees went weak and he hit the floor. After all this time, how can she come back and just take his daughter away?  The sobs hit him like a Mack truck. He didn’t know how long he knelt there, envelope clutched tightly in his hand, when he finally heard Adam walk in the door.

 

“Tommy, where are you?” Adam called as he walked into the living room. Spotting Tommy kneeling in the middle of the room he rushed to his side. “Hey, what’s wrong? Why’re you crying?”

 

“She came back Adam. She’s taking Claire back tonight,” Tommy sobbed as he handed Adam the envelope, his breath hitching, he dragged a hand over his face. “What’re we gonna do? She’ll be here at five. She’s my baby Adam, what am I gonna do?”

 

“Tommy, look at me,” Adam said as he forced Tommy to look up at him. “Baby, we’re gonna fight this. It’s been over nine years, she didn’t try to see her or call anytime during all those years. We can beat this okay?”

 

Just nodding, Tommy clung to the familiar warmth, burying his face in Adam’s shoulder. He stiffened when he heard the front door open and that familiar giggle as Claire walked in.

 

“Daddy? Papa?” Claire said as she walked into the room “Daddy? Why’re you crying? What’s going on?”

 

“Claire, come here. We need to talk,” Adam said as he patted the floor next to them. Settling down, she looked from Tommy’s tear streaked face, to Adam’s solemn one, then at the envelope.

 

“What’s that?”

 

“Honey, your mom came back today.” Adam said softly.

 

“No, Daddy. I’m not going.” Claire said stubbornly as she crossed her arms and stared at them. “I’m not, this is my home, you’re my parents. I’m not going.”

 

“Claire, baby girl, I wanna say yes, you can stay. But these papers say you have to go with her.” Tommy said softly as he reached a hand out to grab her hand in his. He felt her break right then, sobs wracking her body as Adam pulled them both to his lap, murmuring soft words trying to make it hurt less, but knowing in reality the hurt was too much.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Standing in the open doorway just over an hour later, Tommy leaned against Adam’s solid frame as Claire leaned up and kissed Adam’s cheek and hugged him tight.

 

“I love you Papa,” she said softly, a single tear rolling down her cheek, turning to Tommy a sob hitched in her chest, and the tears flowed. “I love you Daddy, I promise I’ll come back.”

 

“CLAIRE! COME ON! We have to go!!” Candice yelled across the driveway, irritated.

 

“I know baby girl, just be good, okay? I promise, we’ll bring you home,” Tommy said softly as he pressed a kiss to her forehead and smiled softly. “I love you.”

 

Standing in the doorway, they watched her walk across the yard and climb into Candice’s car, through the window they could see the tears streaking her face, her small hand pressed against the window, her mouth saying “I love you Daddy” one last time as the car backed out of the driveway. As soon as the car was gone Tommy collapsed in Adam’s arms, sobs wracking his body as his heart shattered.

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~

 

Sitting on the floor of the spare room at Candice’s house, Claire thumbed through her iPod play list, stopping on her Papa’s album, a tear slipped down her cheek as the beginning chords of “Can’t Let You Go” streamed through her earbuds. Turning back to her text book she tried to understand the difference between bases and acids wishing Daddy was there to help, instead she got Candice, who acted like she was a burden, and Brian, who was looking at her like she was some kind of dessert.

 

Finally giving up on Chemistry, she set the book and her iPod aside. Reaching for her bag, she pulled out the one picture she dared to bring. Sighing heavily, she ran her finger tips over the picture of her dads, it was taken the year before at a release party for Papa’s latest album. Wiping the tears from her cheeks she put it back in her bag, and pulled out her math book, settling back she could hear Candice and Brian fighting in the kitchen.

 

~~~~~~

 

“Candy, why’d you even go get her? It’s not like you wanted her to begin with,” Brian said as he pulled a beer from the fridge and turned to face Candice.

 

“Seriously Brian, how much money do you think Tommy will give her? I mean come on! He loves her like she’s his, he’ll pay whatever he needs to in order to keep her happy. Think about it, think about all the money.” Candice said as she poured herself another glass of wine. Looking over at the closed bedroom door, she smirked slightly, “And don’t think I haven’t seen the way you look at her, Brian.”

 

“Oh, come on Candy, so I look it’s not a big deal. Besides, she looks good with the dark hair,” He said his eyes slightly glazed, his fingers twitching unconsciously at the thought of the pretty fourteen year old in the next room.

 

“Oh Bri, I wasn’t saying it’s a bad thing, but think of it this way. If she stays, we get the money and you get her,” Candice said with a smirk, she knew the promise of a pretty girl would get him on board, even if that girl was her daughter.

~~~~~~

 

“Tommy, come on baby. Slow down please, you need to eat something.” Adam said as he followed Tommy down the studio hall. It had been nearly a week since Claire left; Adam was really beginning to worry about Tommy. He hadn’t eaten properly that whole time, all he did was play his guitar, and scribble random lyrics on paper. “Tommy, Please stop! Talk to me.”

 

“Whatya want me to say Adam? That the day is barely worth getting up for? That you’re the single reason I’m getting out of bed right now?” Tommy said as he spun around, pinning Adam with sad, hollow brown eyes. “She came back after nine fucking years and just took her away like it was a weekend visit! No thought that maybe Claire had a life established, that maybe we had bonded as a family, none of that! But because she’s Claire’s mom, she gets to waltz in and just take her away! No thought to the men that raised her, nope, just forget the fags and give the kid back to her mother, even though she abandoned her when she was six, and didn’t bother to call once during the entire time she was gone. Nope she just gets to come back and take her, like nothing ever happened!”

 

Catching Tommy as his knees buckled, Adam just sat with him in the hallway, silently rocking back and forth. “Shhh, baby, it’s going to be okay, I promise.”

 

Sobs hitching in his throat, Tommy let Adam pull him to his feet and take him home.

 

~~~~~~~

 

“Claire, get out here!” Candice yelled from the kitchen. She looked over at Brian, who was sitting at the table reading the newspaper, she could see the tension in his shoulders. Coming out of the room, Claire had her earbuds in her ears, and her backpack on. Brian’s eyes raked over her, she was wearing simple black jeans, her boots and one of her daddy’s old Turn of the Screw t-shirts. “Come on Claire, have some breakfast.”

 

“No thanks, I’ll grab something at school,” Claire said as she wrapped her headphone cord over her neck. She could feel Brian watching her, there was something about him that made her really uncomfortable.

 

“Claire, you need to eat, now eat,” Candice said, getting irritated, as she watched Claire put an earbud in her ear, and turn toward the door.”I’m your mother, Claire, you **will** listen to me”

 

“No, **Candice** , you are the woman that gave birth to me, then after six years dropped me on a doorstep before disappearing for nine years,” Claire said her hand on the knob.

 

“Claire Leanne Jackson, get back in here!” Candice yelled as Claire opened the door.

“My last name is Ratliff,” Claire said as she slammed the door behind her. Walking down the driveway she got to the end of the street before she saw the car. Running to the small Honda, she opened the door and slid in the back seat. “Thank god Ariel! I swear that woman’s nuts and Brian is the creepiest of the creepy.”

 

“So what are you gonna do, Claire?” Melody asked from the passenger seat, as she twisted her blonde head around to look at her best friend. Claire looked like she hadn’t slept well at all, her green eyes were sad, and she had dark circles under them, a lot like Uncle Tommy.

 

“I don’t know, I wanna go home, but I can’t, she won’t let me. She won’t even let me call them, said she’d take my phone away if I did. This is so unfair, she didn’t want me and now she does? What does she really want?” Claire said absently as she looked out the window, all she wanted was to go home to her daddy. Melody just looked at Ariel and gave her a sad smile. Melody could remember when Claire smiled all the time, all it would take to make her laugh would be for Melody’s dad, Claire’s Uncle Kris, to dance. That was a sure fire way to make them all dissolve into giggles and promising to teach him to dance. But now, there was no smiles or laughs from Claire. All three girls saw what this was doing to everyone, not just Uncle Tommy and Uncle Adam, but to their parents as well. Aurora, Melody and Ariel had grown up with Claire, they would all play while their dad’s would talk about music, this was a major adjustment for everyone.

 

“Claire, what do you mean Brian is creepy? What’s he doing?” Aurora asked from beside her. Buckling her seatbelt, Claire thought about what she was going to tell them, wondering if she should she tell them that she’d caught Brian in her room the night before. Taking a deep breath, she stared at her hands.

 

“He’s just creepy, it’s no big deal,” Claire said as they pulled up to the school. She was not going to share the truth, not right now. She knew that Melody would go running to Uncle Kris as soon as they got out of school, not that she was ashamed, she just didn’t want Uncle Kris to tell her Papa. Opening her door, she smiled at them over her shoulder. “Come on you three, we have to get to class.”

 

~~~~~~

Later that night

 

“Ari, I hate it here. I just wanna go home,” Claire said as she sat up on her bed and started doodling on her homework. She knew that Candice was in the kitchen, so she tried to keep her voice down.

 

“I know Claire, just be patient, you’ll be home in no time. I’m sure of it,” Ariel said.

 

Claire could hear the worry in her friends voice as she tried to reassure her. She wondered if Ariel suspected something and whether she was going to tell someone. But what would she tell? Nobody would believe a simple suspicion. And then Ariel asked her point blank.

 

“Claire, you said today you caught Brian in your room. What was he doing?”

 

“Ari, he… I don’t…” Claire said softly as she picked at her nail polish. She really didn’t want to talk about it. The first night she stayed here was the only night he hadn’t come into her room. At first he would only watch her sleep, until she woke up and caught him. “He would only watch at first, but then…”

 

“Oh God, Claire. You have to tell someone,” Ariel said, nearly hysterical.

 

“No Ari, I’ll be fine. He hasn’t tried anything. I’ll be okay,” Claire said as she tucked her homework away and moved to take her makeup off. As she leaned over the counter in her bathroom, she heard Candice come into her room. “Shit Ari, I have to go, SHE is in the room. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I promise, I’ll be okay.”

 

“All right, but Claire, call me if you need anything, okay?” Ariel said as she heard Claire say yes and hang up. Staring at her phone for a minute, Ariel took a deep breath and walked to the music room where she knew there was someone she could talk to.

 

“Daddy, I need to tell you something.”

 

~~~~~~

 

An hour after Ariel left the music room, Monte stared at his hands. What was he going to do? He knew he needed to call someone, pinching his nose, he took a deep breath and grabbed his phone. Before he could call Adam though, he heard a knock at the front door. Opening the door he was shocked, Claire stood there with her backpack and a small suitcase.

 

“Claire?”

 

“Uncle Monte, Can I stay here?” Claire asked as tears rolled down her cheeks, and she stumbled over the threshold and into his arms.

 

“Of course Claire, but honey, you gotta tell me what’s going on. Why did you run away?” He asked as they walked into the music room and sat down on the small couch. Claire’s green eyes clouded over and she started shaking. Putting a hand on her shoulder he squeezed it slightly and waited.

 

“He… he came into my room,” she said softly, looking at her hands.

Monte could tell she was having a hard time looking at him. Based on what Ariel had said, he figured she was probably thinking about that bastard and what he may or may not have done to her. He hoped to hell she didn’t think it was her fault or that she was dirty. She was probably wanting her Daddy but he would have to do for now.

 

“Claire, what did he do?” Monte asked his fists clenching. More than anything he wanted to hunt this guy down and beat the holy hell out of him, but he would wait. If he could do it and not get in trouble he would find the guy and bury him in the woods.

 

“He was in my bed, he was touching me, Uncle Monte,” Claire said as she started sobbing. Pulling her against his chest, he felt the tears fall. How was he going to tell his best friends that someone hurt their little girl? He sat there and rocked her as she sobbed “I just want my daddy, I wanna go home to my daddy.”

 

“I know sweetheart, I know. Tell you what, you stay here with us tonight, and tomorrow I’m gonna call your Daddy’s lawyer. He needs to know this. Okay?”

 

She nodded against his chest and he held her closer. He thought about calling Adam and Tommy tonight, but he knew if he did, Adam would probably do something they would all regret. Best wait until the morning and handle it at the lawyer’s office after Claire was in school.

 

~~~~~~~

 

“Tommy, come on baby, please get up. We’re meeting with the lawyer in an hour,” Adam said as he brushed the hair out of Tommy’s face and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Come on, Monte said he’s gonna meet us there, he has something to tell us.”

 

Groaning, Tommy rolled over and rubbed a hand over his face.  “Okay, I’m getting up,” Tommy said as he sat up and looked at Adam, “Do you think we have a chance to get her back?”

 

“Of course we do. We’ve had her for the past nine years, we’ve taken care of her and she loves us as much as we love her,” Adam said softly as he handed Tommy a pair of slacks, and smiled. “You’ll see, she’ll be home in no time.”

 

Smiling softly, Tommy nodded and got dressed, stopping in the bathroom to fix his hair, and followed Adam out the door.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Walking into the office, Tommy smiled wanly at Monte who was waiting for them. What could he need to talk to them about? Sitting in the chair next to Monte, Tommy felt Adam grab his hand.

 

“Adam, Tommy, how are you both doing this morning?” a tall man asked as he sat in the chair across the desk from them. Flipping open a file, he skimmed the papers and looked at the men across the desk.

 

“I’m doing better David, but Tommy is barely talking,” Adam said as he squeezed Tommy’s hand and glanced over at the sad man on his right. “So, what’s going on?”

 

Looking at all three men, David glanced at his paperwork, sighing he pinched his nose. “Monte called me early this morning, said he had something to tell me. Monte, do you want to tell them or should I?”

 

“I’ll do it, she came to me,” Monte said as he stood and started pacing the room, he could feel the tension, he knew they wanted to ask questions. “Claire showed up at my door last night. She had something to tell me.”

 

“Monte, what did she say?” Adam asked softly as he felt Tommy’s grip tighten on his hand.

 

 _“Please tell me that man didn’t touch my baby…”_ Tommy whispered as a tear slipped down his cheek.

 

“I wish I could,” Monte said as he stopped and put a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. His heart was breaking because he knew this was the one thing Tommy was afraid of.

 

“Where is she now?” Tommy asked through his teeth. His free hand clenching tightly into a fist, he stood up, shaking off the hands that tried to hold him in the chair. “I need to see her, need to make sure she is okay.”

 

“Tommy, look at me,” Monte said as he grabbed Tommy’s shoulders. “She’s at school, she’s all right. I talked to David and he has already started the paperwork to have her stay with me and Lisa. The cops already know and they are dealing with Brian and Candice as we speak.”

 

“What does this do to the custody case?” Adam asked as he leaned on his knees, his head in his hands.

 

“Well to be honest while it looks better for Tommy, it’ll still be an uphill battle as he isn’t her biological father,” David said as he sat back in his chair, tapping his pen on his hand. This was the hardest part, even though both Tommy and Adam had raised her, they were not her biological parents and the state liked giving the mother back children no matter what, with very few exceptions, which was why having her stay with Monte and Lisa right now was for the best.

 

“Not true, I’m her father,” Tommy said as he stopped pacing the room, pulling at his fingers nervously, he let his gaze shift between the three men watching him.

 

“Tommy, I know you think of yourself…” Adam said as he stood up and reached a hand out towards Tommy. Pulling back Tommy shook his head.

 

“No, Adam I **AM** her father,” Tommy said as he slid into the chair, absently running his hands through his hair. “Candy and I went to high school together, after we graduated we started kinda dating. Suddenly one day she disappeared, and I didn’t see her again for almost two years. That’s when she showed up with Claire, she was just over a year old and Candy asked me to sign papers to be her guardian if anything happened. So being the naïve 21 year old that I was I did. I didn’t even think she could be mine until after Candy left her with us. It was only then that I really thought about the timing of things and thought maybe she really was mine.”

 

“Well this changes things quite a bit, I’m gonna petition the judge for a DNA test so we can be 100% sure. If she is really your daughter, then the chances of you getting her are nearly guaranteed.” David said as he picked up his phone and made a phone call.

 

“Tommy, why didn’t you tell me?” Adam asked as he reached out to lay a hand on Tommy’s knee and squeezed lightly, he tried to look in his eyes, but Tommy wasn’t looking at him, he was gazing down at their entwined fingers.

 

“It was just a feeling. I had no proof, I mean look at her, she looks more like you!” Tommy said chuckling harshly as he traced the ring on Adam’s hand, the one he and Claire had bought for Adam on father’s day. Suddenly feeling exhausted, Tommy looked up at Adam.  “I know in the pit of my soul she’s my daughter.”

 

“I know, baby,” Adam said as he pulled Tommy closer, letting the smaller man lay his head on Adam’s shoulder. Looking at David and Monte, Adam smiled softly. “Are we okay here?”

 

“Yeah, Adam, I’ll be in touch when I get the order from the judge,” David said as he stood up and walked the three men to the door.

 

“Am I allowed to see her?” Tommy asked softly as he turned to look at David and Monte.

 

“Yeah, I don’t see why not. I will call the judge just to be sure and then I will call you, okay?” David said as he put a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. Smiling, Tommy visibly relaxed when David said that. All he wanted was to see his daughter and make sure she was okay. He trusted Monte when he said she was, but he just needed to hear her say it, and see it with his own eyes.

 

“Hey, I’ll call you this afternoon when she gets back from school, let you at least talk to her,” Monte said as he turned to face them, his eyes showing a mixture of happiness that Tommy was getting to see Claire and sadness that this had happened at all. His goal right now was to make sure that Claire went home to her family and to get the light back in Tommy’s eyes.

 

~~~~~~~

 

“WHAT? What do you mean she’s not coming back? She’s my god damn daughter!” Candice yelled as the cops told her that Claire was staying at Monte’s and that Brian was being taken in for questioning about molesting Claire.

 

“Look ma’am, you need to calm down or else we will take you into custody as well. I’m telling you what I was told, now back up or I will cuff you,” The officer said as he looked over his shoulder at where his partner was.

 

“All right Officer…” Candice said as she looked at his badge.  “Officer Tiemann, what do I have to do to get my daughter back?”

 

“I suggest getting a lawyer, a different lawyer than your husband’s,” Officer Tiemann said as he turned to leave. He hated that she would probably get her kid back, these cases always ended that way. The mother would vow that the offender would be out of the house, the offender would plead No Contest to the charges, be released on their own recognizance and the kid would either end up committing suicide, or running away. More than anything he hated that, sighing he walked toward his car and partner. He knew if the kid came back, he would be back here as well.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Glaring at the retreating back of the red headed officer, Candice clenched her fists. _Why did Brian have to fuck everything up? Why couldn’t he keep his hands to himself until after the custody hearing? I told him he could have her after the damn hearing._ Candice didn’t realize she was muttering all this out loud, and that Officer Tiemann had stopped and was listening to everything. Shaking his head, he walked to his car and made a mental note to talk to his supervisor and the social worker on the kid’s case.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

Staring at the phone, Adam could barely breathe. “Okay, David we’ll be right down,” He said as he looked over at Tommy.

 

“Adam, what’s going on?” Tommy asked as he watched Adam slip his phone in his pocket.  The look on Adam’s face was a cross between scared and excited.

 

“That was David, the judge wants to see us now,” Adam said as he grabbed their jackets and got in the car, the tension palpable as they drove to the courthouse.

 

“Why does the judge want to see us now? Why not wait until the hearing?” Tommy asked softly as he watched out the window, twisting the ring on his finger.

 

“Hey, baby, it’s gonna be good. Everything is gonna work out,” Adam said as he reached over and squeezed Tommy’s hand. Squeezing back, Tommy sighed. “We’re here, come on baby.”

 

“I’m trying not to get my hopes up,” Tommy said softly as he let Adam pull him out of the car. Looking down, Adam gently pushed Tommy’s hair from his face. More than anything he hoped this was good news, he didn’t know what they would do if Claire couldn’t come home. He didn’t know what he would do with a heartbroken Tommy.

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

Walking into the courthouse they saw David pacing in the hallway in front of a door.

 

“David, what’s going on?” Adam asked as they came to a stop, pulling Tommy under his arm he felt the blond tense up slightly.

 

“Honestly, I’m not sure. Judge Thomas called me this afternoon and said there was something that had been brought to her attention and she wanted to see us right away,” David said as he looked at his watch. Suddenly the door opened and a clerk poked his head out.

 

“Mr.Cook, if your clients are here Judge Thomas is waiting for you,” he said as he held the door open for them.

 

Gesturing to Adam and Tommy, David followed the clerk to the judge’s chambers. Taking a deep breath they followed, unsure what to expect. Entering the office they saw Judge Thomas sitting behind her desk.

 

“Ah, David, it’s nice to see you again,” Judge Thomas said as she stood and held her hand out to David.

 

“Nicole, it’s nice to see you. This is Adam Lambert and Tommy Ratliff, my clients,” David asked as the four of them sat down.  “I was told you wanted to see us?”

 

Before she could answer there was a light knock on the door and Taylor, her aide, pushed it open letting a large man in. Carrying a large case, the man walked across the room stopping in front of Judge Thomas’ desk he set the case on the desk.

 

“Ah, Mr. Sarver, so glad you could make it on such short notice,” Judge Thomas said as she nodded to Taylor, letting him know he could leave. “David, your clients are sure about this? If the results aren’t in their favor it will not bode well for the custody case.”

 

“They know and they still want this,” David said as he looked over at Tommy. “Am I right Tommy?”

 

“Yes, I have to know,” Tommy said softly as he squeezed Adam’s hand.

 

“Alright, well then let’s get this done so we can find out the truth,” Judge Thomas said as she nodded to the man. “Mr. Sarver, have you got the samples from the girl?

 

“Yes, your honor,” he said as he set the box on the desk and opened it, pulling a pair of gloves on and taking a sterile swab from the box. “Mr. Ratliff, could you open your mouth please?”

 

Leaning forward, Tommy opened his mouth and let his eyes fall closed. All he could think about was this was one more step, one more thing to ensure he got his baby back. The swab was done quickly and he leaned back in his chair, and grasped Adam’s hand again. Putting the swab in a sterile case, the lab tech slipped it into his case and shut it. Turning he smiled at them and walked to the door.

 

“Your honor, the results should be on your desk by Wednesday,” he said as he pulled the door open, and walked out, the door clicking closed behind him.

 

“So now we wait. I will see you all on Wednesday, I will be in touch with the child advocate and will be having a private meeting with the child in this matter. Seeing as she is fourteen, she has a voice in this as well,” Judge Thomas said as she looked at her file. Standing up, Tommy slipped his hand in Adam’s and they followed David out the door, only to run into Candice and her lawyer.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Wait, what are you talking about Morgan? What test?” Candice asked as she glared at her lawyer.

 

“The DNA test, I told you about it,” Morgan said as he pulled a folder out of his briefcase and handed it to her. “Mr. Ratliff has presented a case that he may be Claire’s real father. In the interest of the custody case, there is going to be a test to either prove or disprove that.”

 

“Oh this is bullshit!” Candice said as Tommy and Adam walked out of the office and stopped to talk to their lawyer. Glaring over at them, she looked back at Morgan.

 

“Candice, shut up!” Morgan whispered harshly as he put his hand on her arm.

 

“No, god this is so fucking stupid. Tommy isn’t her father,” Candice spit as she glared over at Tommy and Adam. “Even if he was, he’s a fag, what could he know about raising a daughter?”

 

“Apparently enough to get him through the last nine years Ms. Jackson,” Judge Thomas said standing in the open doorway, no longer silent.  “Morgan, please come inside and bring your client.”

 

Not moving, Tommy stood and stared at his hands, he had let go of Adam’s hand the moment Candice called him a fag, that word was the one thing that made him doubt. The thought that because of who he loved he might lose his daughter made it hard to breathe. He could feel Adam rubbing his back, murmuring in his ear, telling him everything would be all right.

 

“Tommy.”

 

Looking up through the tears, he saw David smiling at him.

 

“I suggest only one thing,” David said softly. “You both love each other, presenting a united front, being a married couple would shine a positive light on you.”

 

“It won’t hurt us? Being a gay couple?” Tommy asked softly looking down, Adam’s fingers softly tracing circles on the back of his hand. “Won’t it look like we are only doing this to win?”

 

“It could, if you want to wait until after the hearing that’s fine, but stay strong, together you are a force,” David said softly as he patted Tommy’s shoulder. “Don’t let this break you apart, remember she is a smart, well adjusted girl, and you both did that.”

 

Nodding, Tommy looked up at Adam and smiled softly. He took Adam’s hand and they walked out of the judge’s chambers. He could do this, they could do this, and everything would be all right.

 

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Looking around Claire adjusted her jacket and pushed her hair behind her ear. She knew that she was going to talk to the judge, Uncle Monte had talked to her the night before, told her to just be honest and not be afraid. She saw the door open and took a deep breath as Taylor came out to greet her.

 

“Judge Thomas is ready for you,” he said as he held the door open for her. Standing she walked through the door and saw a woman sitting on a couch and another in a large chair.

 

“Hello Claire, I’m Judge Thomas, this is Kelly, she’s your advocate with the court. I am going to ask you some questions, is that okay?”

 

“Yeah, I just want to go home,” Claire said softly.

 

“I know, can we start at the beginning?” Judge Thomas asked softly as she leaned forward patting Claire’s arm. “What do you remember about your mom before she left you with Tommy?”

 

“Honestly, not very much. She acted like she didn’t want me around, like I was a hassle,” Claire said softly, picking at her nail polish. “I remember her taking me out of the car and handing me my backpack, then she told me that Uncle TJ was going to take care of me now. Then she left.”

 

“Did she ever call?” Kelly asked as she took notes.

 

“Never, I know that Daddy tried to find her, but he never could,”

 

“How do you feel about Tommy’s relationship with Adam?” Judge Thomas asked gently

 

“How do I feel? I was the one that convinced them to stop being stupid! Seriously, I could see how much they loved each other and I was just a kid, they are made for each other. I want them to get married, and adopt me a brother,” Claire said as she smiled, twisting the ring on her right hand.

 

“Can you tell me about what happened after your mother took you back?” Judge Thomas asked looking pointedly at Kelly. This was very important, she needed to know how Claire felt about her mother.

 

“She’s not my mother,” Claire said vehemently “She left me when I was six years old on the front porch of a house that I had only been to a few times before. She didn’t even wait to see if anyone was even at home, she just left. Then she shows up nine years later, and just takes me back, like nothing ever happened. Not to mention her husband is a damn pervert who decided that it was okay to sneak in my room at night and get in my bed!”

 

“Okay, well I think that answers all my questions. Kelly, do you have any more questions for Claire?” Judge Thomas asked as she stood up. Shaking her head, Kelly closed her notebook and looked over at Claire smiling.

 

“No, I think I have everything I need,” Kelly said as she slipped everything into her bag.

 

“Okay Claire, you may go. I believe your guardian is waiting for you,” Judge Thomas said as she opened the door to let Claire out.  She smiled as she closed the door and walked towards her desk where the results of the DNA test were. She hadn’t looked at them yet, she was going to wait until the hearing in the morning. Running a hand through her hair, she plopped in her chair, custody cases always drained her, emotionally she was dried out, this case was one of her toughest. The celebrity of the men, the blatant homophobia of the mother, she knew that it would set a precedent. This was a major case, not only judicially, but in the media as well. It’s not every day you end up with a high profile beloved couple battling for the custody of a child. Especially when the mother was throwing their relationship around like it was wrong and was a detriment to the girl. From what she had seen, Judge Thomas disagreed with Candice on that, Claire was a well rounded loving girl who obviously loved her fathers very much. Sitting back in her chair, she tapped her fingers on the folder with the results, after talking to Claire the results didn’t matter. Judge Thomas already knew how she would rule.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sitting in the back of the town car, Tommy could see the flashes from the cameras. Closing his eyes, he let his head fall against Adam’s shoulder and took a deep breath.

 

“You ready baby?” Adam asked softly as he let his fingers slide through Tommy’s hair.

 

“Yeah, let’s do this,” Tommy said as he opened the door and stepped out amid flashes and questions.

 

 _“Tommy, what will you do if you lose the custody case?_

 _“Adam, how do you feel about what Ms.Jackson is saying about your relationship?”_

 _“Tommy, is it true she was molested by Mr.Cooper?”_

The last question made Tommy whip his head around, he glared at the reporter that asked the question and stalked over.

 

“She is just a child, if it happened, it is none of your business,” he growled as Adam put a hand on his shoulder and led him inside the courthouse.

 

~~~~~~

 

“Everyone here is aware that I am in possession of the results of the DNA test. Regardless of the results of the test, after speaking with Claire and both Mr. Ratliff and Ms. Jackson, I have made a decision.” Judge Thomas said as she opened the folder, keeping her smile to herself, she pursed her lips and closed the folder. “Mr. Ratliff, you are Claire’s father.”

 

Hearing those words, Tommy felt his hands start shaking, but he waited. He knew that the judge wasn’t finished talking. He grabbed Adam’s hand and squeezed as he looked over and saw Claire crying on Monte’s shoulder. He could see the anger in Candice’s face and the way her lawyer turned to her and forced her to stay in her seat.

 

“Now that that’s out of the way. Ms. Jackson, from what I learned from Claire and what you yourself told me, you never wanted to be a mother, you never wanted the responsibility and the moment you had a chance you dropped her on Mr. Ratliff and Mr. Lambert and didn’t look back. But the moment you thought it would be advantageous to you monetarily you returned and decided that you wanted her back. It doesn’t work that way, I’m granting Mr. Ratliff full custody. Seeing as Claire is fourteen she was given the choice to allow visitation, and she has declined,” Judge Thomas said as she looked at Candice. The woman looked furious sitting next to her lawyer, she whispered furiously to him, but he kept shaking his head.

 

“Damn it Candice, did you not hear? She doesn’t want to see you, you can’t force her to. If you wish to pursue this you’re going to have to find yourself another lawyer because I’m done.” He whispered forcefully, as he put the papers in his briefcase, snapped it closed and walked out of the courtroom. Watching Candice, the courtroom was silent, until a soft voice broke though.

 

“Daddy, can we go home now?”

 

Finally breaking down, Tommy turned and watched Claire run over to him, throwing her arms around him, he started sobbing. “Oh baby girl, my sweet baby.”

 

“Come on let’s go home,” Adam said softly as he hugged them both and led them out into the swarm of cameras and rapid fire questions only answering one time. “We are taking our daughter home.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

One year later

 

“Come on Daddy! You look fine,” Claire said with a giggle as she straightened his tie.

 

“Are you sure this looks okay? I mean maybe we should have gone with the dark purple?” Tommy said as he looked at himself in the mirror, fiddling with his hair and fixing a slight smudge under his eye.

 

“Oh my god! Are you joking? I remember the meltdown you nearly had over the purple! Daddy you look wonderful, Papa is gonna love it, I promise,” Claire said as she handed him his lip gloss and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’m gonna check on Papa, you better be waiting when I get back.”

 

Rushing down the hall, Claire came to a stop in front of a closed door, lightly knocking she called through the door. “Papa? Can I come in?”

 

“Yeah, baby,” Adam called though the door. Walking into the room Claire smiled.

 

“Oh Papa, you look amazing,”

 

“Thank you baby, how’s Tommy?” Adam asked as he finished putting on his eyeliner and turned to face his daughter who was holding his tie in her hands.

 

“He’s gonna have to be tranquilized,” Claire said as she slipped the tie over his head and tied it. “I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay, I’m gonna go back and make sure he hasn’t run off or passed out.”

 

“All right baby, are you sure about this? I mean you sure you want to do this today?” Adam asked as he hugged her close.

 

“Of course, what better day than today?” Claire said as she laughed and patted his cheek. “Now I expect to see you when I drag Daddy down there, got it?”

 

“I got it, now go make sure he is still upright,” Adam said with a laugh and watched her rush down the hallway.

 

Twenty minutes later Adam watched as Tommy and Claire walked down the aisle. Reaching the end Claire smiled up at them both and grabbed their hands, kissing both before pressing them together and sitting next to Monte.

 

By the time the official got to the “Do you take this man to be your husband?” Claire was quietly sniffling. This was what she had been waiting for, this day when they would finally get married. Candice had finally signed her rights away, deciding that fighting for Claire wasn’t worth the time or money and she also knew she would lose. Brian plead guilty to the molestation charges, so there would be no worrying about him. When he eventually gets out of jail he’ll have to move out of the city and he won’t be allowed within a mile of Claire or her residence. That was fine by Claire, she got what she wanted, she got her dads back, they were getting married and they were gonna be a family, finally.

 

She was slightly shocked when at the end of the ceremony instead of pronouncing them married, the official turned and asked them if they were ready and pulled out a folder.

 

“Yes,”Adam turned and held his hand out to Claire, “Claire would you come here please?” Standing up, she looked around confused.

 

“Papa? What’s going on?” Claire asked as she let him take her hand, pulling her between him and Tommy.

 

“It may be our wedding, but we want a family. These are adoption papers, yours, I’m adopting you today,” Adam said and as the words sunk in, Claire looked between them, her eyes filling with tears.

 

“You’re serious? You’re really gonna be my Papa, for reals?” Claire asked her hands clasped tightly around theirs.

 

“Yes, for reals,” Adam said laughing as she threw herself at him burying her face in his shoulder as the crowd behind them started clapping. “Come on baby girl, let’s make this official.”

 

Watching, Claire let the tears fall as Adam signed the papers changing her name from Claire Leanne Ratliff to Claire Leanne Ratliff-Lambert. Then she watched as they signed the wedding certificate changing Adam and Tommy’s last names to Ratliff-Lambert. Turning to the crowd the official introduced them to the Ratliff-Lambert family for the first time.

 

Instead of a first dance for the newlywed couple, Claire danced with each of her dads.

 

“Today is the best day of my life,” she sighed happily against Tommy’s chest. “Is it yours?”

 

“One of them,” Tommy said as he smiled down at her.

 

“What are your other ones?” Claire asked as Adam walked up to them wrapping his arms around them both, so they were all three dancing together, slightly awkward, but together.

 

“My others?” Tommy said as he looked down at her and smiled. “Oh baby, they were the first day you came to me, and the day the judge said you were my daughter.”

 

Smiling Claire pressed a kiss to each of their cheeks and let them dance together. Standing back she watched the two men that meant the world to her dance together for the first time as a married couple. She couldn’t have wished for anything better.

 


End file.
